We The Curious
Nine ASDC member organisations were awarded grants to co-create youth-led programmes from August 2025-February 2026. Read their programme summaries below for more information on what they plan to deliver and dowload the full case study report
Next Gen Earth - Case studies report
Centre for Alternative Technology
Centre for Alternative Technology's (CAT) worked with Reaching Wider and trusted contacts at Ysgol y Moelwyn to engage with young people from Y8 and Y9, age 12 to 14 years. They also brought in students from their Mentoring Programme who were so helpful and enthusiastic, accompanying the young people as they followed the programmed activities as well as talking to them and getting a sense of their reflections through discussion.
Our focus was on climate change and climate awareness. We explored what the young people already know about climate change, how they feel about it, what impact they have seen in their own communities and what they would like to see for their communities in the future. We looked at the skills they will need to make their visions a reality, exploring the role of environmental science in future study and work, identifying barriers and looking to solutions. Cocreation with the young people underpinned our project, we adapted the programme to their needs and interests.
Research highlights rising climate anxiety among young people, with many feeling powerless to address the crisis (Save the Children, 2022). Through this project we wanted to help young people to have agency and feel that their actions and career choices can have impact.
Dynamic Earth
Dynamic Earth partnered with Multi‑Cultural Family Base, a community organisation supporting young people from ethnically diverse backgrounds in North Edinburgh, to deliver a six‑session programme exploring Earth and environmental sciences. Guided by the young people’s interests, the project focused on marine science — from Scotland’s deep seas to global ocean threats — through hands‑on experiments, creative activities, and immersive experiences.
Highlights included investigating real fossils, experimenting with ocean acidification, exploring coral reefs through brand‑new VR opportunities made possible by this funding, and taking part in ROV simulations and marine‑animal surveys. The group also had the chance to meet a marine scientist from the National Oceanography Centre, asking thoughtful questions about her work and life at sea. These activities helped the young people see the variety of roles within marine science and engage with environmental issues in a way that felt relevant, exciting, and accessible.
Exeter Science Centre (now The Planetary Lab)
In this programme we worked with young people at two youth centres in Northern Devon. By first identifying how the young people connect with their local environment, we then designed sessions focused around their interests, including looking at freshwater quality in the River Yeo, marine ecology, biodiversity and pollution. We brought in local experts to share their careers, ran hands-on activities and ran field trips to their local river and local beach led by local scientists. A really important part of this project was helping young people to feel more comfortable in taking part in science activities, as well as listening to their needs, interests and views to steer the activities.
The young people grew in their confidence and their interest in engaging with science activities and in discussing science and we’re really excited to have developed stronger relationships with SPACE Youth Services and with the young people, and intend to seek funding to continue our project work together in the future.
Young person: “I feel much more confident about talking about environmental science now”
National Space Centre
Next Gen Earth funding allowed the National Space Centre to create Youth Voice, a group that became fertile ground for all types of growth. Youth Voice is made up of 10 young people aged 7-13 who live in the centre’s immediate satellite communities and experience significant barriers to engagement. The group came together to create ‘Space to Grow’ – a community garden snuggled between the River Soar and the National Space Centre itself.
Experts generously shared practical lessons exploring environmental science topics, which became the foundations needed for our informed young leaders to design and execute a representative, meaningful community space. The group showed grit and determination in their commitment to hard, outdoor work through the Winter months, and as a result, have seen a significant growth in confidence, connection, aspiration and creativity. The National Space Centre hope to continue working alongside their Youth Voice group, taking forwards the collaborative and empowering approach that has made such real, multi-layered impact in our Space to Grow project.
Oxford University Museum Natural History
Next Gen Earth Investigators empowered young people to move from environmental interest to environmental leadership. Hosted at the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, the programme trained eight Youth Advocates (aged 16–19) through direct engagement with researchers working in biodiversity, food security, and climate science before supporting them to design and deliver four public sessions for sixteen Investigators, 13–16 year olds.
Across January 2026, sixteen participants (Investigators) explored habitat fragmentation, predator reintroduction, sustainable food systems, and urban environmental change through role-play, ecosystem modelling, and structured debate. Sessions sparked extended discussion, strong emotional engagement, and high retention across all four weeks. Demand exceeded capacity, with applications surpassing available places.
By positioning young people as science communicators within a research institution, the programme strengthened leadership confidence, deepened systems thinking, and expanded awareness of environmental research careers. The model demonstrated that peer-led, research-informed engagement can both raise scientific understanding and build the next generation of environmental leaders.
"The experience reinforced my belief in the capacity of young people when they are trusted with genuine responsibility and provided with the right structure and support. The programme did not simply engage young people in environmental science; it revealed what they are capable of leading.” - Community Lead
Royal Botanical Gardens Kew
At the end of 2026, over the UNFCCC COP period, Kew Gardens delivered a series of youth focussed events, co-designed with young people from Kew’s Youth Forum and Youth Council. These events each had a different focus, but all involved advocating for youth voice and agency amidst the climate and biodiversity crises.
Model COP
Kew’s Youth Forum co-designed a day of climate talks to align with COP30 taking place in Brazil, with over 100 14-17 years olds coming together onsite at Kew Gardens to take on the role of different countries and debate and discuss adaptation and mitigation strategies to ensure we keep as close to the Paris Agreement of 2 degrees of warming as possible.
Our Futures: Kew Youth Fest
A careers event with a twist, designed by young people, for young people. Kew Youth Council delivered their inaugural event at Kew, bringing a new audience into the Gardens. The day saw a range of early career facilitators deliver workshops, tours and talks on their area of expertise, with the nearly 90 attendees able to choose their own timetable from the myriad options on offer.
‘I loved the very inspirational talk at the end of the day where the special guests answered enquires as, it helped me understand more about future careers paths involving nature’ - Our Futures Attendee
Techniquest
The programme delivered a series of engaging, youth-centred activities that supported young people across Wales to explore environmental science in ways that were relevant, accessible, and aligned with the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) remit. Working in partnership with the Welsh Youth Parliament, ACE Cardiff, and Home Education Wales, the project engaged participants aged 7–18 through a combination of online and in-person sessions. Young people explored key environmental topics including climate change, flooding, heatwaves, biodiversity, and human impacts on the natural environment, using interactive approaches such as role play, data collection, poster creation, and presentations. A key highlight was the involvement of a NERC-remit researcher, which provided participants with direct insight into real environmental research and its societal relevance.
The programme concluded with a COP30-themed celebration event at Techniquest, where young people presented their work to the public alongside universities, environmental organisations, and research projects.
A total of nine stall holders attended the COP30 event including Seagrass Project, Green GEN Energy, Welsh Water, Size of Wales, Bute Energy, Wild Science Project, University of South Wales and Cardiff University.
Examples of their stalls is below:
- Seagrass – Brought VR Headsets to look at their Seagrass meadow
- Size of Wales – Raised awareness about everyday ingredients that are a significant factor to deforestation and biodiversity loss and how to substitute them (for example, palm oil, cocoa and soya
- Welsh Water – Discussed the importance of saving water and how to be efficient
This event created a platform for youth voices to be heard while showcasing the impact of NERC-aligned environmental research in an engaging, community-focused setting. Across the programme, participants developed confidence, skills, and a greater understanding of environmental science and related pathways, demonstrating the value of inclusive, youth-led public engagement in supporting NERC’s aims of widening participation and increasing awareness of environmental research.
The Eden Project
The programme was delivered across four sessions at The House St Austell and Eden Project, focusing on environmental science, biodiversity, and climate through creative, hands-on learning. Eden provided a dynamic learning environment where young people connected with nature and explored careers available to them in the environmental sector in Cornwall.
Highlights of delivery included the group leading their own creative journey while exploring different areas of Eden, picking bananas straight from the tree, tasting strawberry guava, pulling turmeric roots in the Rainforest, spraying water on taro leaves to learn about protective canopies, storytelling workshops in the Mediterranean Biome, and learning about the Seed sculpture in the Core building and the importance of sharing environmental knowledge with future generations.
Throughout the programme, young people explored the site together, built strong relationships, and ultimately shaped and delivered their own creative project, demonstrating growing confidence and curiosity.
"The real success of the project was watching the young people show up, collaborate with each other, and begin to develop their own voices" Eden member of staff
Xplore! Science Discovery Centre
Through this programme we worked in partnership with a coastal faith youth group to engage young people in hands-on exploration of environmental science and climate change. Sessions combined practical investigation with creative response, encouraging participants to connect scientific concepts to their local environment and lived experience.
Topics aligned with NERC research themes, and engagement with researchers helped bring real-world science into the sessions, giving participants insight into current environmental challenges and potential career pathways. Activities were designed to build confidence, curiosity, and agency, enabling young people to see themselves as capable contributors to environmental conversations.
Highlights of the programme included strong relationship building through repeated engagement, enthusiastic participation in creative and investigative activities, and the development of a commissioned artwork reflecting the group’s learning and perspectives. Delivering sessions in their usual meet place strengthened relevance and engagement.
While we did not capture enough audio to produce a full podcast episode, participants successfully recorded two short clips — one exploring plastics in the oceans and another focusing on sharks. These recordings demonstrated strong engagement with the topics and a willingness to communicate environmental ideas to a wider audience. The young people showed confidence in structuring their thoughts, applying interview and presentation techniques developed during the sessions, and took clear pride in their work.
Importantly, the group expressed interest in continuing to develop the podcast clips beyond the life of the project. Although the intended final output was not realised in full during delivery, the process of planning, recording, and reflecting still met key learning objectives. Participants gained practical experience in communication, collaboration, and environmental storytelling, and left with both the skills and motivation to build on this work independently.
Overall, the programme successfully fostered interest in environmental science, supported skills development, and created meaningful connections between young people, researchers, and their local environment — outcomes we look forward to building on through continued partnership beyond the funded period.
